Boruc, who had looked solid after his gaffe at Arsenal last weekend, was replaced by Paulo Gazzaniga, but the Argentinian failed to impress and looked decidedly slow in getting down to Ba's late third for Jose Mourinho's men.

With veteran Kelvin Davis also currently sidelined, Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino will have little option but to continue with Gazzaniga for the foreseeable future.

Boruc's injury is a significant blow for Southampton, with the former Celtic man emerging as a key performer in Pochettino's side.

Saints rose as high as third in the Premier League but back-to-back defeats to Arsenal and Chelsea has seen them slip to seventh.

(Photo: Mike Hewitt)

As well as losing, the Saints also let slip the title of the Premier League’s tightest defence after conceding three goals for the first time all season

“We had a great start, amazing,” added Pochettino. “Even up to them drawing level, we were at our best spell in the game just before.